#70 How Virtual Clubs Transform School Culture with Pearson's Cindy Carbajal

Why Distance Learning?

Educators often assume that clubs, activities, and school culture must happen in person—that building belonging in virtual learning is limited or even impossible. Many imagine distance learners as isolated kids behind screens, missing the social experiences that shape identity, leadership, and community.

But what if that assumption is simply wrong?

In this conversation, Cindy Carbajal, a 20-year veteran of Pearson Virtual Schools, shows us how vibrant, student-driven communities thrive online through thoughtful structure, flexible engagement pathways, and opportunities for real agency.

Cindy oversees a global clubs and activities program serving 11,000+ students across time zones, grade levels, and cultural backgrounds. Her work demonstrates that:

1. Student-Centered Design Fuels Real Belonging

• Clubs are built with a goal that at least 50% of live time is student talk time—not passive listening.
• Students share, present, lead, and create—driving engagement and ownership.
• Broad-topic clubs (like Art Club instead of Crochet Club) help students discover unexpected interests and communities.

2. Flexible Models Match Virtual Students’ Real Lives

• Every offering includes both synchronous and asynchronous pathways, ensuring access regardless of schedules, time zones, or family obligations.
• Live sessions build community; asynchronous challenges deepen skills and allow for self-paced exploration.

3. Clubs Quietly Reinforce Academic & Durable Skills

Cindy calls it “stealth learning”:

• Math skills reinforced in esports strategies.
• Reading skills strengthened through participation logistics and peer review.
• Executive functioning, digital communication, and leadership built through planning, presenting, and collaborating.

4. Data Drives Program Evolution

Her team measures:

• Enrollment and attendance
• Student and caregiver satisfaction
• Withdrawal trends
• Overlap between global clubs and local school clubs
  These insights help fine-tune offerings and spark new opportunities—like peer tutoring, reading buddies, and esports leagues.

How Educators Can Apply These Insights Today

1. Start with the student experience—not the content.

Ask: Where can students lead? Where can they share? How can this be theirs?

2. Build broad entry points.

Instead of a niche club for each interest, create umbrellas where kids can explore together.

3. Don’t replicate in-person school—capitalize on what’s uniquely possible online.

Global reach, time-zone diversity, virtual volunteer opportunities, and student leadership that scales across schools—these are advantages brick-and-mortar can’t match.

4. Teach students how to interact online.

Cindy’s programs explicitly teach:

• How to give feedback in writing and art clubs
• How to share space respectfully
• How to show kindness online (Kindness Club!)

5. Track what matters.

Attendance, satisfaction, enrollment, and student stories help shape future offerings.

Episode Links

• Pearson Virtual Schools — Learn more about their virtual school network and programs, including Cindy's Global Clubs.

Host Links

1. Discover more virtual learning opportunities at CILC.org with hosts Tami Moehring and Allyson Mitchell.
2. Seth Fleischauer’s Banyan Global Learning provides meaningful global learning experiences that prepare students across the globe for success in an interconnected world.